Vancouver short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Vancouver?
Short answer
Vancouver requires a short-term rental licence for stays under 90 consecutive days in your principal residence. Each person can hold one licence. Get any required landlord or strata approval and show the licence number in every online listing.
Key facts
| Allowed | Only the operator’s principal residence, subject to the other eligibility requirements.Short-term rental business licence, What you need to know · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-09Official wordingRenting your home for less than 90 consecutive days? You need a short-term rental licence. Our short-term rental regulations help protect long-term rental housing and allow residents to earn additional income. ## Before you apply for a licence * You must live in the property as your principal residence. * Only 1 licence for each person allowed. * Strata and/or landlord approval required before applying. * Include your licence number in all online listings. |
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| Business licence | Vancouver requires a short-term rental licence for stays under 90 consecutive days in your principal residence.Short-term rental business licence, What you need to know · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-09Official wordingRenting your home for less than 90 consecutive days? You need a short-term rental licence. Our short-term rental regulations help protect long-term rental housing and allow residents to earn additional income. ## Before you apply for a licence * You must live in the property as your principal residence. * Only 1 licence for each person allowed. * Strata and/or landlord approval required before applying. * Include your licence number in all online listings. |
| Provincial registration | Register the unit with B.C. unless a provincial registration exemption applies. Display the registration number and any required local business licence number on the listing. Use the exact registered address.Register as a short-term rental host, Province of British Columbia, Host registration, exemptions and approved registration · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-09Official wordingShort-term rental hosts must register their short-term rentals with the provincial short-term rental registry to operate in B.C. Short-term rental hosts do not have to register if they provide: * Accommodations over 90 days long per booking * Accommodations on Reserve lands * Accommodations on the Nisga’a Lands or the treaty lands of a treaty First nation, unless the lands are subject to a coordination agreement that requires registration * The following accommodations that are not suitable for long-term housing: Once registration is approved, hosts will receive a unique registration number for their short-term rental. Hosts are required to: * Update their short-term rental listing(s) to include the valid registration number (and a local government business licence number, if required) * Make sure the address on their short-term rental listing(s) exactly matches the address associated with the registration so platforms can successfully validate the registration number |
| Operating rules | Get the required strata or landlord approvals and include the licence number in online listings.Short-term rental business licence, Before you apply for a licence · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-09Official wording* Strata and/or landlord approval required before applying. * Include your licence number in all online listings. |
| Fine | Not confirmed. Checked Short-term rental business licence, Licence By-law No. 4450, Get a long-term rental business licence; not found there. |
| Bylaw | Not confirmed. Checked Short-term rental business licence, Licence By-law No. 4450; not found there. |
How it works
Describe what a guest would be renting. A room in your home, a separate unit on the same parcel and an entire dwelling can be treated differently. Record the proposed length of stay and whether you live at the address. Get the required strata or landlord approvals and include the licence number in online listings.
Steps
- For the local licensing requirements, consult Short-term rental business licence. Find the local rules for the address and type of accommodation. Check any principal-residence, zoning and local licensing conditions that apply to it.
- Check provincial registration separately. When an application asks for a number, identify whether it means a local business licence or the provincial registration number.
Good to know
- Register the unit with B.C. unless a provincial registration exemption applies. Display the registration number and any required local business licence number on the listing. Use the exact registered address.
- Only the operator’s principal residence, subject to the other eligibility requirements.
- Find your Vancouver property on the City’s Digital Zoning Map and note its district.
- Before listing the unit, compare the address, host and unit details on the listing with the approvals you obtained. Ask about the specific arrangement if you intend to rent more than one unit.
- For a question about the proposed rental address, unit type and licensing category, call City Hall at 311. Identify the specific dwelling or suite you would list, even if it shares a street address with another unit.
What you'll need
- Any required landlord or strata approvals.
- For a listing subject to provincial registration, have the registration number and any required local business licence number ready.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Richmond · Burnaby · North Vancouver · District of North Vancouver · New Westminster · Delta
Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality →
Sources
- Short-term rental business licence (read 2026-11-09)
- Register as a short-term rental host, Province of British Columbia (read 2026-11-09)
- Digital Zoning Map (read 2026-11-09)
- Vancouver municipal office contact information (read 2026-11-09)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 4 of 6 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.